Baked Spicy Salmon Croquettes
A crunchy, spiced, almond coating envelopes salmon and potatoes in these Baked Spicy Salmon Croquettes – making them a healthier Sri Lankan “Short eat”!
I’m not quite sure where the term “Short eats” originated from, but, growing up in Sri Lanka, when I was asked if I wanted to grab some short eats, I knew not to say no because short eats always seemed to involve little tidbits of delicious, sometimes savory, sometimes sweet, snacks!
When it came to Sri Lankan Short Eats, the simple fish cutlet (or croquette) has always been my favorite. Not only are they super simple to make but they are downright delicious! I once stumbled on a quote by someone who likened a fish cutlet to a little “grenade of breaded and fried fish and potato that hits your mouth with a flavor explosion!” Yup, I’d say that sums it up!
And, when it comes to fish cutlets, my mom is a pro! Even people who are not fans of spicy foods, succumb to the allure of my mom’s fish cutlets and they tend to have a hard time at stopping with just one!
As much as I love indulging in those deep fried balls of fish and potatoes on occasion, they are not something I like to serve up all the time. So, over the years, I’ve come up with baked versions of those fried balls. I’ve shared a few veggie versions on here such as these Black-Eyed Peas And Collard Greens Croquettes as well as these Baked Lentil Spinach Croquettes.
But today, I have a simple, Baked Spicy Salmon Croquettes for y’all. Now, when I say spicy, I don’t mean the kinda spicy where you are gonna need to empty a well of water to get over. What I mean by spicy is that I use quite a bit of spices such as cumin, coriander and ginger in the croquettes and in the coating to jazz up their flavor so you won’t miss the fact that these are not deep fried.
These baked croquettes are quickly becoming a staple around our house for holiday get-togethers, as well as game-day hang outs. With Easter on the horizon, I am going to be adding a batch of these to my Easter Lunch menu – to be served with some sambal oelek and tamarind and date sauce. My daughter mixed the two sauces together and I must say the result was spectacular and went so well with these Salmon Potato Croquettes.
I am one of those cooks that has someone else do the tasting, and simply ignore my hunger pangs while I’m pulling together a meal, which leads to an awful headache. My daughter says hunger headaches are so sneaky as they creep up on you when you haven’t eaten – but, then they kill your appetite because who wants to eat with a headache?! Instead of calling it quits on the menu prep and ordering take out, I make sure to have Excedrin® Extra Strength (for everyday headaches) on hand for moments like this.
Ingredients
Baked Spicy Salmon Croquettes
- Two 6oz cans of salmon (in water preferably)
- 2 boiled potatoes (skin removed)
- ½ a medium yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes (according to preference/taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup thawed frozen peas
- ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro chopped up
- For the coating:
- 1 cup lightly salted almonds
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 egg
Tamarind Date Sauce
- 4 tablespoons Tamarind Date Paste
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Baked Spicy Salmon Croquettes
- Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash them well with a fork – then add in the salmon, diced yellow onion, diced garlic, coriander, cumin, chili flakes, grated ginger, peas, lemon juice, cilantro and salt and pepper and mix well.
- Form into balls and prep the coating.
- Place the almonds in a food processor or blender and pulse till the almonds are a rough “powder” then mix in the cumin and coriander and place on a plate.
- Beat the egg well.
- Then, dip the Salmon Potato Croquettes into the egg mixture with one hand and use the other hand to roll them in the almond coating.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees and then place the coated Salmon Potato Croquettes in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve with sambal oelek and Tamarind Date Sauce.
Tamarind Date Sauce
- As the croquettes are baking, you can prep Tamarind Date Sauce by adding the Tamarind Date paste along with the water, cumin, coriander, ginger powder and Pinch of salt to a microwave safe bowl and mixing well. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds till slightly warm and serve.
Ingredients
Baked Spicy Salmon Croquettes
- Two 6oz cans of salmon (in water preferably)
- 2 boiled potatoes (skin removed)
- ½ a medium yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes (according to preference/taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup thawed frozen peas
- ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro chopped up
- For the coating:
- 1 cup lightly salted almonds
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 egg
Tamarind Date Sauce
- 4 tablespoons Tamarind Date Paste
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Baked Spicy Salmon Croquettes
- Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash them well with a fork - then add in the salmon, diced yellow onion, diced garlic, coriander, cumin, chili flakes, grated ginger, peas, lemon juice, cilantro and salt and pepper and mix well.
- Form into balls and prep the coating.
- Place the almonds in a food processor or blender and pulse till the almonds are a rough “powder” then mix in the cumin and coriander and place on a plate.
- Beat the egg well.
- Then, dip the Salmon Potato Croquettes into the egg mixture with one hand and use the other hand to roll them in the almond coating.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees and then place the coated Salmon Potato Croquettes in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve with sambal oelek and Tamarind Date Sauce.
Tamarind Date Sauce
- As the croquettes are baking, you can prep Tamarind Date Sauce by adding the Tamarind Date paste along with the water, cumin, coriander, ginger powder and Pinch of salt to a microwave safe bowl and mixing well. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds till slightly warm and serve.
This is an awesome recipe to include more salmon into my diet. Such a palatable croquettes, Shashi!
What great croquettes! And short eats! Pass them over!
Oo oo oo! Short eats is where it’s at Miss Shashi. Why aren’t you and your short eats here with me? I’d absolutely love your company and these baked croquettes – they are popping with flavor!!! We are here at my sister-in-law’s beach house in Old Salisbury, MA for a few days during the kids spring school vacation. I can hear the surf crashing! Today it was mild – in the high 50’s, but the temp is going to nosedive tomorrow and it will be in the 40’s and POURING and the winds are supposed to be 40 mph. No kidding. It will be a cozy day indoors, though I’m known to venture out on the beach in crazy weather. Jon and Jacob are moving some furniture for my s-i-l Dawn tomorrow and they are hoping to find a short window when it’s not pouring. I get headaches when the barometer rises and falls so dramatically so I will def. remember Excedrin – always a relief! Hope you are having a great week my friend.